After brothers Danny and Greg Edwards announced in the winter that they were going to return to Langley Speedway, you could almost hear the sigh of relief.

Fans weren't looking for Mark Wertz to get his comeuppance; they simply wanted to see the popular defending champion get some competition after winning 13 of 18 races last season in winning the Late Model Sportsman class.

While the Edwardses have spent the first six weeks of the season preparing new Late Model Sportsman cars, a slew of challengers have stepped up in the division. After Wertz won the first two races of the season, Butch High, Doug Warren, Shawn Balluzzo and Paul Lubno have been to victory lane.

So the Edwardses won't have to rescue the Late Model Sportsman Division. Instead, when they return for tonight's 75-lapper, they'll make the division's most competitive season in years that much more competitive.

"It will mean more competition up front," division points leader Doug Warren said. "Maybe I'm wrong, but I expect them to be top-five right off the bat."

Wertz added, "With five winners in six races, the division is already pretty good. The Edwardses will add a spark. This division is becoming talent-loaded, like at South Boston. It's great for the guys like me, who have watched them race here, to get the chance to race against them."

The Edwards brothers have not raced regularly at Langley since 1999, when they began competing in the American Speed Association, a national touring series. Only Phil Warren, a seven-time track champion, rivaled their success at Langley during the 1990s.

Danny Edwards, 36, won track titles in 1989, 1992 and 1999, the year he also captured the regional title. Greg Edwards, 32, edged Danny by four points for the track title in 1998 -- one of the closest finishes in track history.

"I have so many good memories of Langley," Greg said. "Racing against my brother those two seasons is probably the best. We had some cars that were really running good."

Those cars, Late Model Stocks, were slightly different than the Late Model Sportsman vehicles that replaced them at Langley in 2001. The Late Model Stocks had a little more horsepower and wider tires.

So the Edwardses, who announced their return to Langley in February, needed until this week to prepare their cars. Wednesday, they tested their Chevrolet Monte Carlos for the first time. Danny said he was happy with the tests, but was not ready to reserve victory lane just yet.

"We got a feel for the tires and how they'll react, and how much power we have to deal with," he said. "We've got something that's workable, but we have to tweak it. We need to do a little work on the suspension."

Many fans expect one of the brothers to win tonight. That may not be realistic, given the competition at Langley this season, but Danny understands that comes with being an Edwards.

"I guess there's a little bit of pressure on us, but not as much as we put on ourselves," he said. "We expect a lot of our performance. We're not going to be happy until we're winning."

NOTES: Virginia Motor Speedway will host round one of its Victory Lap Late Model $25,000 Challenge tonight. The four-race series offers bonus money for multiple winners: $5,000 for two victories, $15,000 for three victories and $25,000 for a series sweep. ... John Staton of Chesapeake, a former Langley Speedway driver, won three of four races in the series last year to earn $15,000. The Super Late Model, Modified and All-American divisions will also be in action tonight. *

LOCAL TRACKS TONIGHT

LANGLEY SPEEDWAY

Gates open: 1 p.m.

Time trials: 4 p.m.

Racing starts: 7 p.m.

Admission: $12 for adults, $10 for active military, senior citizens and school age children 13-18 with ID, $5 for children 6-12.

Directions: Across from NASA Langley Research Center on N. Armistead Avenue in Hampton.

Information: 865-1100 or www.langleyspeedway.com

VA. MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Gates open: 4 p.m.

Heat races: 6:45 p.m.

Feature races: 8 p.m.

Admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and military, $8 for students 13-17, $4 for children 7-12, 6-and-under are admitted free.

Directions: Follow U.S. Rt. 17 past Gloucester and toward Tappahannock. The track is 10 miles north of Saluda on the left.